The last of my three ‪#‎HeroesCon‬ pre-con commissions. a 9×12 greyscale (w spot color) of Meghan Hetrick and David Baillie’s Red Thorn.

What am I going for here? Two things really. The first, a dark masculine sexuality. The predatory gaze, casual pose, and positioning of that whiskey bottle (and it even BEING a whiskey bottle) aren’t an accident.

Secondly, and perhaps relatedly, to suggest that all here isn’t quite what it seems. The first thing your eye notices probably isn’t Thorn but instead that wolf’s head in that dark mass of black. That’s on purpose, and is generated both from my manipulating you through chiaroscuro but also a top-right to lower-left composition. It pulls your eyes across the top to the wolf. It’s purposefully a tad off putting, as a more natural movement is top-left down. Again, a feeling of unease. You then flow right down over Thorn to his foot and onto that hopefully ethereal, cloud-like effect created by the wolf-skin rug under the throne.

It also helps to be fortunate enough to know one of the creators, so I had input on this one all the way through. From the angularity of his face and his favorite whiskey to his personality and aspects of his character you’ve not seen yet in the comics. Whether you know it or not, it’s all there.

It’s an 1899 Old Laphroaig, for what it’s worth 🙂

——-

Want to see how this and many other projects came together? Layouts, inks – the whole process? Become a Patreon supporter of Richard’s. Any level of support will get you behind-the-scenes access to everything he’s working on. He posts updates constantly on all the amazing art he’s working on. It’s the ONLY place you’ll get that access!